System and method for connection to a wireless network

• US 8,618,717 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Mocanu, Iulian, Jalali, Mohsen, Xue, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): EBRAHIM, ANEZ C
• Application Number:
  US12/497,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20110002261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 310/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for connection and/or reconnection of a computing device to a wireless network. Embodiments of the system and method may, when appropriate, inhibit use of stored IP addresses, for example by deleting or effectively deleting stored IP addresses. By deleting or effectively deleting stored IP addresses, the computing device is influenced to request, via an associated wireless communication device, a new valid IP address from an access point which in turn requests a valid IP address from the wireless service provider server.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communication device configured to facilitate communication between a host computing device and one or more network access points when the mobile wireless communication device is operatively coupled to the host computing device, the host computing device comprising a processor and a host memory operatively coupled to said processor and adapted for storing one or more Internet protocol addresses received from a corresponding network access point, the mobile wireless communication device comprising:

a deletion mechanism stored on a memory of the mobile wireless communication device, wherein at least one of the one or more internet protocol addresses is temporarily deleted by said deletion mechanism, and the mobile wireless communication device configured to transfer the deletion mechanism to the host computing device, the deletion mechanism operatively coupled to said processor and said host memory following said transfer, the deletion mechanism adapted for;

presuming that the one or more stored internet protocol addresses are potentially invalid due to a change in location of the mobile wireless communication device; and

inhibiting use of said one or more stored internet protocol addresses by deleting the one or more stored internet protocol addresses from said host memory following said presumption, thereby influencing the host computing device to request a new valid internet protocol address;

and a restoration mechanism operatively coupled to said processor and said memory, the restoration mechanism adapted for restoring said at least one of one or more temporarily deleted internet protocol addresses to said memory.

2. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless communication device includes a wireless-enabled hardware component selected from the group comprising:

wireless capable modems, wireless network cards, wireless adapters, embedded communication modules, wireless network interface controllers, and wireless LAN adapters.

3. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the computing device and the wireless-enabled hardware component are operatively coupled using a connection protocol selected from the group comprising:

USB™

, IrDA™

infrared, PCMCIA™

, ExpressCard™

, and Firewire™

.

4. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein inhibiting use of the one or more internet protocol addresses involves a deletion operation selected from the group comprising:

overwriting physical computer memory, resetting flags or program variables indicative of the presence of data stored in memory, temporarily moving data to a new memory location, and temporarily adjusting pointers or flags.

5. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the deletion mechanism is operated if the mobile wireless communication device is determined to be mobile between networks, access points, or both.

6. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the restoration mechanism is operated if the mobile wireless communication device is determined to be stationary.

7. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the deletion mechanism is operated upon disconnection of the mobile wireless communication device from the wireless network.

8. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the deletion mechanism is operated prior to initiating connection of the host computing device to the wireless network.

9. A method for connection of a mobile computing device to a wireless network via a mobile wireless communication device operatively coupled to the mobile computing device, said mobile computing device previously connected to one or more network access points using corresponding one or more internet protocol addresses, said one or more internet protocol addresses stored in a memory of said mobile computing device, the method comprising:

initiating a configuration operation for configuring the mobile computing device, the configuration operation initiated by the mobile wireless communication device;

wherein the configuration operation causes the mobile computing device to;

make a presumption that the one or more stored internet protocol addresses are potentially invalid due to a change in location of the mobile computing device;

and inhibit use of the one or more stored internet protocol addresses stored in said memory by deleting the one or more stored internet protocol addresses from said memory following said presumption, wherein at least one of the one or more internet protocol addresses is temporarily deleted

thereby influencing said mobile computing device to request a new valid internet protocol address, said mobile computing device being communicatively linked to a network access point through the mobile wireless communication device;

and restoring the at least one temporarily deleted internet protocol address.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein inhibiting use of the one or more interne protocol addresses involves a deletion operation selected from the group comprising of:

overwriting physical computer memory, resetting flags or program variables indicative of the presence of data stored in memory, temporarily moving data to a new memory location, and temporarily adjusting pointers or flags.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of determining whether the mobile computing device is mobile between networks, access points, or both, wherein use of the one or more internet protocol addresses is inhibited if the mobile computing device is determined to be mobile between networks, access points, or both.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of determining whether the mobile computing device is stationary, wherein the at least one temporarily deleted internet protocol address is restored if the mobile computing device is determined to be stationary.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of monitoring for a network event selected from the group comprising:

network connection events, network disconnection events, and network reconnection events, wherein use of the one or more internet protocol addresses is inhibited upon occurrence of said network event.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein use of the one or more internet protocol addresses is inhibited upon disconnection of the mobile computing device from the wireless network.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein use of the one or more internet protocol addresses is inhibited prior to initiating connection of the mobile computing device to the wireless network.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein requesting the new valid internet protocol address is performed using a non-abbreviated procedure for requesting allocation of the new internet protocol address from a DHCP server.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the method is facilitated at least in part by a software agent, the software agent transferred from a memory of the mobile wireless communication device to the mobile computing device, the software agent configured to initiate and perform the configuration operation.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions for execution by a computer to carry out a method for connection of a mobile computing device to a wireless network via a mobile wireless communication device operatively coupled to the mobile computing device, said mobile computing device previously connected to one or more network access points using corresponding one or more internet protocol addresses, said one or more internet protocol addresses stored in a memory of said mobile computing device, the method comprising:

initiating a configuration operation for configuring the mobile computing device, the configuration operation initiated by the mobile wireless communication device;

wherein the configuration operation causes the mobile computing device to;

make a presumption that the one or more stored internet protocol addresses are potentially invalid due to a change in location of the mobile computing device; and

inhibit use of the one or more stored internet protocol addresses stored in said memory by deleting the one or more stored internet protocol addresses from said memory following said presumption, wherein at least one of the one or more internet protocol addresses is temporarily deleted, thereby influencing said mobile computing device to request a new valid internet protocol address, said mobile computing device being communicatively linked to a network access point through the mobile wireless communication device;

and restoring the at least one temporarily deleted internet protocol address.